Expert: Kids Unlikely Harmed By Pharmacy Mix-Up

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A pharmaceutical expert says any child who may have taken breast cancer treatment medication mistakenly distributed by a New Jersey pharmacy instead of prescribed fluoride pills likely won’t suffer any health problems.

Daniel Hussar, a professor with the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy at the University of the Sciences, said Saturday that it’s unlikely that Tamoxifen would cause any serious or adverse effects when used for a short period of time.

CVS Caremark officials say only a few children ingested pills for breast cancer treatment. It’s still not clear how the errors occurred at the pharmacy in Chatham (See related story).

The pharmacy has acknowledged improperly dispensing the drug instead of chewable fluoride tablets to children in as many as 50 families between Dec. 1 and Feb. 20.